Lost and Found • mikhaiah au

16. A Hand to Hold

Agnes could no longer contain the whirlwind of emotions inside her. The overwhelming resemblance between herself and Althea, Maiko and Maki, and the sight of Colleen and Malia, were too much to bear.

Her voice trembled as she finally spoke, the words sharp and desperate. "Sino sila?" she demanded, holding up the photo album for emphasis. "Sino si Maki at Althea? What aren't you telling us?"

Colleen flinched as if struck, her gaze flickering from the album to Maiko, then back to Agnes. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Malia, on the other hand, crumpled. She took a shaky step forward, her eyes filling with tears, and a small, anguished sob escaped her.

"Maki... and Althea," Malia whispered, her voice breaking as she choked on their names. "They were—" She couldn't finish, her emotions rendering her speechless as the weight of long-buried memories threatened to overwhelm her.

Agnes' frustration boiled over. "You owe us an explanation! We've been dragged into this, whatever this is! Without even knowing why! You invited us here, you—" Her voice broke, and she looked at Colleen with a mixture of betrayal and anger. "Please, just tell us the truth! Coach naman!"

Colleen's composure shattered completely, her shoulders sagging under the strain of years of concealed grief. "Maki and Althea were more than just our friends," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "They were ... everything."

Malia's sobs grew louder, her hands covering her face as she crumbled under the weight of the past. Colleen moved to comfort her but stopped short, as if uncertain how to proceed.

Agnes took a step closer, her anger ebbing slightly, replaced by a desperate need for clarity. "And now... what? You see us and think we're them? Is that why you brought us here?"

Colleen's eyes were rimmed with tears as she met Agnes' gaze. "Agnes, you have to understand, it's not just that you look like them, i-it's as if a part of them has come back to us through you. But we never meant to ... manipulate you. We just couldn't stay away."

Maiko, who had been silently processing everything, finally spoke, her voice filled with a quiet intensity. "But we're not them. We're not your second chances."

Colleen nodded slowly, acknowledging the truth in Maiko's words. "We know. But it doesn't change how much it hurts ... to see you and be reminded of what we lost, what I've lost."

Agnes' expression hardened, her anger rekindled by the answers and the weight of the truth she was beginning to uncover.

"Is that why you chose me?" she asked, her voice cutting through the tension in the room like a knife. "Was it because I looked like her, like Althea? Is that why I made the team?"

Colleen's breath hitched as she hesitated, her eyes betraying the guilt she couldn't hide. The silence that followed was damning. Malia's sobs quieted as she looked at Colleen, waiting for her to respond, but Colleen couldn't meet Agnes' gaze.

Agnes felt a sickening twist in her stomach as the realization took hold. "So, it's true," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "You didn't see me, you saw her."

Colleen opened her mouth to speak, to try and explain, but the words wouldn't come once again. The truth hung between them, undeniable and suffocating.

Agnes couldn't bear it any longer. Everything was too deep, the sense of being used was too overwhelming. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, the album still clutched in her hand. The sound of her footsteps echoed in the silence as she made her way to the door.